Forbidden Love

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 17

RELOCATION AND ADVENTURE

{ Abena’s POV}
<<<<<<
I saw a river separating Fafa and I. Instead of waiting for Fafa to cross the river, I quickly jumped in and started crossing the river with vigour. Then a lady came out from nowhere and was wooing my lover. I was jealous of her and forgot that I was crossing a river with a high torrent. I lost my balance and the river began sweeping me away. It broke my heart Fafa remain nonchalant about all the efforts I was making to reunite with him.

Then…I saw Fafa left the strange girl and dived into the river to rescue me. He swam with speed and soon caught up with me. Instead of quickly getting out of the water , we began smoothing and kissing, in the middle of the river. Suddenly a giant evil looking snake appeared from the river. It was like an anaconda(Eunectes murinus).

The huge snake began to
constrict us until we could no longer breathe. Then it opened its mouth to swallow us whole while still squeezing us between its giant gliding body. We fought like wounded lion to break loose from that tussle but the more we fought It, the stronger it squeezed life out of us. We could feel its parallel lines of backwards pointing teeth
on our head. It became a tenacious adversary. With the last energy in our body , we struggled to break loose again. Angered now by our relentless efforts, it began swallowing us whole now. Our cry for ” JESUS ” was muffled as we saw ourselves in the snakes stomach. My breathing stopped and I black out. I woke up on bed crying. For a moment I thought I was a ghost.

<<<<>>>

I become very apprehensive after having that terrible nightmare the previous night. It is said that dreams are the preview into the unknown future.

I waited for Fafa for two weeks. He had not return from his hometown.

I tried calling him on phone but received no response. I knew its not a matter to diddle-daddle on.

Was Fafa annoyed with me for deserting him in his hometown?

We have not wrangle or bicker before.

Maybe I shouldn’t have left him in Sogakope when his mother told him he couldn’t marry me. My mother noticed my anxiety and asked me, “are you thinking of Fafa?”
“Yes,” I answered.

She looked at me seriously and advised me to break up my relation
ship with Fafa. She said, “no good will come out of your relationship with Fafa. I have a bad dream about both of you but I will put it in prayers. For now BREAK UP with Fafa.”

Then she added something that hurt me so much. She said, ” I hope you will not stab me like you did to your father when he advise you against Fafa.”
Her comment hurt me so much that I decided to leave the house. I was distraught.

I packed a few of my belongings and left. On the way, I saw my little sister walking towards my direction. I dodged her because i don’t want any of my family to see me leave. I diverted into the bush. When she passed by , I resumed my journey. I didn’t know exactly where I was going but I just want to move out to a place far away where I could get the much needed solace.
At the station, a bus driver asked if I was going to kyekyewere.
Without thinking twice I said ” YES”

I then entered the bus and relaxed.

Soon, the bus was full and we began our journey. It was a long tiring journey on the dusty bumpy road, a road that forked through thick canvas of forest ,interspersed
with streams .We travelled for about nine hours until we reached a spot on the road where the bus cannot move on.The driver explained to us we have to continue the rest of the journey on feet.

I couldn’t believe my eyes.Walking through the beastly looking forest on foot? It seemed like a herculean task but we soon realise the reality when the bus sped of, leaving us in
In a jungle of confusion and desperation. We were on our own now in no man’s land.
We were fifteen in number. I simply followed the villagers. We started walking through the thick forest. After four hours of a trekking, we reached the small remote village in the evening.

“Are you from kyekyewere ?” a voice from behind asked me.
Turning round, I saw a woman in his mid thirties.

“No, I’m not. I’m just a tourist looking for a little relaxation and a place to be in tune with nature ” I answered.
“Good, my daughter. I can offer you a place to stay for your tour if you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind.”
Ok. My name is Papina.
Ok. Papina. I’m happy to meet you.

“Me too, but there is one more thing.”
“What is that?” I asked.
Every stranger who comes to our village. must see the chief first for his approval to stay here.

“Ok. No problem,” I said , secretly hoping my stay will be endorsed.

kyekyewere was a small village consisting mainly of mud houses, roofed with thatch and a small river,called Abonwi, which served the whole village of kyekyewere. The village had a rounded settlement pattern, with the chief’s compound at the centre and a few meters from the chief’s compound was the school compound and adjacent to the school compound was the mini market. The village had no health centre but Traditional Birth Attendants and a few herbalists.

There was no electricity. The thick forest surrounded the while village , as if it was an army, ready to advance on its settlers should it be provoked.
I could see the young girls carrying clay pots, going to the river side to fetch water, the boys and men carrying cutlasses and firewood, returning from their farms, the sounds of twigs alerting them of their environment. The older women were busy preparing the evening meals for their husbands.

When we reached the village, the rest of the people left to their homes. They were natives of the village who had travelled to the city for a while to make a better living for themselves.

Small children, some naked, could be seen, rushing towards them, very happy to see them.They hugged them cheerfully with smiles on their faces. Even the adults came out, the elderly men wrapped clothes round their waist, the women also ,except the clothes covered both their waist and breasts.

I was sent to the chief’s palace where I was given water and a traditional prayer offered. The chief’s linguist asked of my mission in the village.I told him I’m a tourist and I came to the village to learn about nature and their way of life.

The chief was a gigantic man, about 6 ft,40 inches tall.Very muscular and thick. He spoke with authority and power as he sat on his magnificent throne, his feet rested on the skin of a lion, his throne embroidered with mysterious designs and his Royal staff had a lion head carved on top of it.

The chief’s compound was well kept and neat.They were designed with markings and embroideries that perfectly fit his royal status. There were a dozen maids in his house and many body guards, most of them muscled and fearsome. After detailing the chief through the linguist of my mission, I was heartily welcome and even given an accommodation near the chief’s palace. I told the chief I would prefer to stay with Papina but he said that accommodation was specifically designed for strangers. I had no option than to accept it.

It wasn’t any extraordinary building. Same mud house roof with thatch. It has a bamboo bed and a few earthenware plates and an overused raffia mat.

---

My friendship with papina grew within the weeks that followed.
I stayed in the village for two months without any significant incident.

In my fourth month, things began to change. One day, Papina told me the oldest son of the chief,
Yafeu was interested in me. She said he overheared him talking to some of his friends. Everyday, Papina came to me for a chat or just company. She had only one brother. Her father is dead and her mother had travelled to the city.
That evening Yafeu told me he loved me. At first he was quite diplomatic about it. He was overly friendly, asking his servants to give me needless assistances. When he realised I didn’t want to bulge, he became aggressive to the point we nearly had a physical confronta
tions. One evening, he burst into my room. Papina wasn’t around. He said, ” I give you three days to reconsider your decision with regards to my proposal or you will leave this village in disgrace .”

Having said that, he stormed out if my room. At that moment, I realised my days in the village was numbered. Deep in the night, I took the few belongings I brought and escaped under the cover of darkness.

I lost my courage when I was about to break into the thick forest. I imagined encountering lions or tigers or even snakes. How could I pass through this beastly looking forest alone?
Then I saw a light palm oil lamps heading towards my room. Realization dawned on me.The prince wanted to take advantage of me that night. Gathering courage, I ran into the thick beastly forest. My heart beat. Nightly animals seemed to be following me. Bats flew about carelessly. Even the sounds of tree twigs terrified me. I walked through the deadly forest relentlessly. I met dwafts and strange creatures but I managed to avoid those foul spirits.
The next day , l left the village behind. It looked as if the forest was becoming thicker and thicker the more I walked through it.

I passed the second night too in the forest. I was totally stunned by the forest’s ecosystem and thrilled by the incessant humming of the bees in their hideout. The bees were not the only sign of life in the thick forest. There were insects, spiders, slugs, salamander, in addition to broad -winged hawks and pileated woodpeckers. Monkeys howled to its troop members and birds gave welcoming chirps to their flock. The brush rustled with small mammals and insects skirting along the forest floor.

The towering trees formed a robust canopy, blocking almost all the sun
light, from reaching the floor, with their amazing heights in addition to housing hundreds of species within a few acres like the rubber trees Cecropia and Giant red Cedars. There were also parasitic and creeping plants in the dense forest with large leaves and vines. Everything seemed serene to me.

I managed to survive in the heart of the forest feeding on fruits.

With no human presence, I relished the company of the forest creatures.

I was exhausted and felt the need to sit down and relax. Just when I sat down and put my head on the trunk of a tree, I heard a loud roar behind my back. I knew that roar only belong to one animal, the king of the jungle; lion.

I turned round and saw it. The sight of the gigantic feline sent cold shivers down my spine.It squinted its devilish eyes towards my direction, with tensed muscles ready to pounce on me.

Quite instinctively, I broke into a ran. I ran along the narrow pathway. I could hear the breath of the beast behind me. It was getting very very close . Its snarling canine teeth now very visible. Its roar was powerful and thunderous. I knew my life was at stake. The aggressive beast was poised to kill me. The beast soon narrowed the gap between itself and me. My gyration was weak.

Out of fear, I slipped and fell on the vegetated floor. The lion pounced on me. In that frightful moment, I knew my life had come to an end. It sunked its ferocious canine teeth into my flesh. My thigh burned with pain. I let our a bloody shriek as the lion feasted on my left leg. Its canine teeth burned deep into my succulent flesh as I kept bawling.

Then there was a gunshot. The bullet found its way into the belly of the lion and it hit the ground with a heavy thud, dead. I turned around to see my saviour, the shooter.
I was stunned. What was he doing in that thick forest?”